Category: Thoughts

I like my Apple Watch (42mm black Sport model) a lot. I have been wearing it exclusively on my wrist for almost a year now. It is a very compelling blend of hardware and software that is a very good Version 1.0 of a product. I won’t go into all the things I like about it here, but, there are enough of them to keep it on my wrist for about a year.

But, it needs some help. Rumor is that the might be a new watch of some sort this fall, but, in the meantime here are my observations:

It is too slow. Period. I think it’s a hardware thing first, then a software issue. So, I guess I’m saying that I feel it’s underpowered. There are too many times where it doesn’t register a wrist turn, or a tap on the glass to wake up. Simply checking the time seems to take too much time, way too often. Asking it to show some info from a compilation can take way longer than it should.

I really hate the times where I will swipe on the screen and nothing happens – I’m not sure if it is the sensor hardware on the glass, or if that is the CPU not handling the input. But too slow. It doesn’t happen all the time, but each time it does, it registers as an annoyance.

The software on the watch doesn’t respond quickly at times, but I believe most of those instances are to be blamed on the communication between watch and phone. Could communications be sped up with a faster processor ? Probably.

I wish it had more hardware – GPS would be a great start for me. I’ve read a lot of people asking about additional sensors: Glucose, skin perspiration, temperature, etc. Those sound well and fine, but also seem too fringe to me.

Apple has to appeal to the masses to drive adaptation – and right now, the most compelling use of the watch has to be the fitness aspects. I think Apple will add the GPS chip and a much faster CPU to the next watch.

I don’t need a camera (I think) unless Apple has some new use case for me that I haven’t thought about yet.

In the next part, I throw out some suggestions on how to improve the software (at least according to me…)

Today, Tesla introduces their Model 3. Probably the most anticipated car over the last several years, at least since Tesla introduced the Model X.

This introduction, for a car that won’t ship in volume for another 1.5 years, is causing a frenzy that is more like an Apple product launch than anything I’ve seen before.

Tesla allowed customers to go into stores today and will open up online reservations later tonight. From all accounts and pictures, tens of thousands of people gave up their day to wait in line and give $1000 to a company for a product they won’t see for at least 18 months.

Tesla is taking online reservations for the car tomorrow. By putting $1,000 down, you will reserve your future car.

People don’t even know what the car will look like, or what options will cost. That info is supposed to come tonight when founder Elon Musk gives a presentation. We don’t know how much info he is even going to tell us, but we do know that he won’t answer all the questions – we WILL have unknowns tomorrow…

GM has announced that the Chevy Bolt will ship in 2016 – and they are testing the production line now. Another 200+ mile car for around $35k.

I have an all electric car – the Kia Soul EV. I never thought I’d drive a Kia, but now I don’t see myself driving an ICE (internal combustion engine) as my daily driver ever again. It’s not about the brand on the car, but instead, what the drive system is. I really like my Kia. It’s not perfect, there are things I’d change if I could. But I really like electric cars –

I am driving the future and I am convinced that we will all have electric cars someday. There are just too many positives and the negatives are quickly going away –

Sometimes things happen or people do things just because. Because it is who they are, because they don’t think about how we might take it, because they just do. You know what I mean, right? The comment, the look, the interruption, or the coffee that spills…

Why do we assume that the thing was done TO us? To hurt us? To shame us? To smart-ass us? We tend to assume that the universe has targeted us directly with these things. We take on ownership and responsibility for them. We give them a life on their own.

I’ve got news for you: The universe doesn’t care much about us. Other people tend not to care much either. Things happen.

If we can smile, acknowledge the action, and then move on – our lives are simpler, easier, and much less stressful.

I think that the real test in life is in how we react those things we cannot control…

I have noticed a sort of trend lately – bashing GTD for not Getting Things Done. Examples are here, here, here, here, and here.

One common theme seems to be that running the GTD system takes too much time, so much in fact, that you don’t actually GET things done. After all the time running the GTD system, there is no time left for deep thinking, strategic planning, or concentrated project work.

I think this line of thought is missing the while point of GTD.

GTD is built explicitly to clear your mind and your sub-conscious of the nagging, slowing, fogging thoughts that keep us from doing Deep work. The design of GTD is such that you can make it as complicated or as simple as you need it to be. You take from the system only the pieces you need, using them to clear your mind of self doubts, reminders, and worry.

I have read the book a couple of times and make use of as much or as little of the theories and systems as I need to simplify my life and clear my mind. Some weeks or months I get heavy into the ‘system’, and sometimes I hardly use any.

Using more of the system than you need goes against one of the basic founding tenants of the system “Mind Like Water.” That means in all things, act or react only as much as needed, no more and no less. Similarly, as Einstein said, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

GTD can’t be blamed for an inability to focus on the deep work – GTD is only a system. It is up to each of us to make use of the system, not to allow the system to use us.

His personal take is that the market and business environment are in better places today:

Everyone is going to answer that question differently based on their own personal situation. But what I can tell you as a business person trying to look at the big picture, I don’t remember 4 years ago as being a good time for business.

My personal situation is somewhat better today than in 2008, but that is the wrong comparison point. I need my situation to be better than it was in 2006 or 2007. With that as a comparison point, my situation is worse. Your mileage may vary…

He takes politicians to task, which seems like a very good idea to me.

I only wish that candidates were held to the same standards of fact that CEO’s of public companies are. If CEOs were as vague, fast and loose with the facts as our candidates are, they would be in big trouble. How sad is it that our Presidential candidates are not required to hold the same levels of fact as our corporate leaders are.

Based on how he ended the article, asking for a serious lack of lies from the candidates, I can’t wait for his Part 2 of the post!